The Glory of Royal Raspberry Lip Paint from Barry M: Lip swatch and review!

I got a surge of comments regarding Barry M Royal Raspberry Lip Paint after posting the below haul picture on my Tumblr.

Barry M Lip Paints (from left): Royal Raspberry, Vintage Rose and Dolly Pink

It's not a surprise considering it's an absolutely gorgeous black-cherry metallic.

I'm happy to report that after giving it a couple of goes, I can safely say Royal Raspberry is undoubtedly glorious. Creamier and silkier than the other Barry M Lip Paints I own (which tend to be sticky or more matte due to the high pigment density), this slips on to an effortless opaque finish, and does not bleed. If you find Barry M's semi-matte lipsticks too dry, this is a great finish for you, but it will not stay on quite as well as the more matte and tacky ones.

Barry M Royal Raspberry Lip Paint, close up.

Royal Raspberry comes at the commoners' price of £4.49 and shipping was extremely fast (I got my package within a week of ordering) despite it traveling 1/3 of the way across the globe from the UK to Asia. I'm happy to report that nothing was melted, broken, or smooshed against the sides in this second purchase either.

Shade-wise, metallic reds aren't exactly rare, and many brands from drugstore to high-end do carry a variation or two. But this shade is a hair deeper and cooler toned (which I believe makes it more flattering) than shades I've tried from L'oreal and PUPA. Unfortunately, I tried to swatch it on my hand, but the flat surface just makes it almost impossible to bring out the metallic tones and the contrast of light and dark properly.

Swatches don't do this lipstick justice! L-to-R: PUPA lipstick in New Chic (metallic), Barry M Royal Raspberry (metallic), and Bourjois Sweet Kiss 54 Rouge Glamour (creme)

For that, you need contours, so here is a close-up lip swatch for the full effect.

Lip swatch: Barry M Royal Raspberry up close and personal

The overall effect this black-cherry metallic shade gives is more vamp than sex-pot, and perfect if you like to channel the "quietly-mysterious icon" more than the "loud and fabulous starlet".


Tips:

Barry M Lip Paint in Royal Raspberry, worn with a sheer silvery-grey wash on the lids

• In the look above, I wanted to adapt the traditional sex-pot look (black kitten liner, white pencil on the waterline), since the lipstick is a dark metallic cherry rather than a glossy red. I simply smoked out black kitten-flick liner by running over it with a soft grey wash so it becomes less obvious, and retained the pale waterline by running a matte pale-yellow pencil along it.
• I do not wear this with lip liner, because I feel that would weight down the whole texture and make it very thick-looking and less metallic. I just rub a bit of lip concealer into the edges of my lips and then carefully apply the lipstick straight from the tube, for maximum intensity.
• Deep metallic lipsticks are great when worn sheer as a stain. Apply balm or whatever nude/muted lip color on your lips, and then rub this right in the center of your lower lip, and "smoosh" your lips together to get that "just-ate-cherries" pout.
• Do wear a bit of color on the cheeks with this, as it will liven up your face and prevent you from looking sallow.